Viral video of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying he is skipping late-night drives with his wife due to oil shortages amid supply shortage due to Middle East tensions

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, the team conducted a reverse image search and a keyword search to trace the original video.

Multiple users on social media platforms Facebook and X were sharing a video since April 14, 2026, claiming that it shows the supreme leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, saying he is skipping late-night drives with his wife due to oil shortages amid the supply shortage due to the Middle East tensions. However, the clip is old from October 2020 and he said no such thing.

About 20 per cent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) usually passes through the Strait of Hormuz — which has been blocked by Iran since the beginning of the war with the United States and Israel in February on February 28, 2026 — sending global fuel prices soaring.

On April 12, 2026, oil prices again topped $100 per barrel after President Donald Trump said the US would block “any and all ships trying to enter, or leave, the Strait of Hormuz”, threatening to further disrupt oil flows.

HOW IT STARTED

On April 14, an India-based account shared a video on X showing Kim in tears while speaking to the public with the following caption: “When North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un announced, ‘Due to a shortage of oil in the country, I will avoid my late night long drives with my wife,’ the entire nation broke down in tears, seeing Kim’s sacrifice. This is how deeply his people love him.”

The video also featured an overlay with the hashtag “satire”. The post attracted 3.7 million views.

A user based in Saudi Arabia shared the same video with the same caption on X, gaining 5m views.

The clip and caption were also shared by a Chinese user, gathering 532,000 views.

Another user, who appears to be a PTI supporter based on his X profile photo and past posts, shared the same video with the same caption, gaining 90,000 views.

The video was further shared by several other users on Facebook and X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here; collectively accumulating 102,000 views.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its high virality and keen public interest in global oil supply concerns and geopolitical tensions linked to the US–Israel and Iran conflict.

A keyword search was conducted to corroborate whether any credible North Korean or international media outlets had reported such a statement recently, but yielded no results.

A reverse image search conducted to trace the source of the viral video yielded a YouTube video posted by BBC on October 13, 2020, titled: “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gets emotional during speech.”

The transcription of the original video is provided below:

“All I have to say is that I am grateful for the confession in my heart and the truth in my heart. These are our soldiers who have gone through so much and suffered so much. The patriotic and heroic deeds of our people’s soldiers in the National Liberation War are something that no one can do without gratitude. On behalf of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea, I would like to express my gratitude to all the patriots who did not choose today’s October holiday to go to Pyongyang, but moved to another area of damage recovery.”

The viral clip is taken from Kim’s address, specifically from the 0:08–0:52 second mark, where he can be seen delivering a speech with the same visuals as in the viral clip.

A review of the full original speech confirmed that he did not make any of the statements attributed to him.

According to the original video, Kim became emotional during a military parade marking the 75th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of Korea. He wiped away tears as he addressed the nation’s struggles, thanking troops for their efforts amid the Covid-19 pandemic and natural disasters.

Nowhere in the video did he mention oil shortages or the consequent lifestyle changes.

A keyword search also yielded another video of the same event shared by The Telegraph with a similar context.

Furthermore, a keyword search yielded reports from international media outlets such as CNN, The Guardian, and BBC from October 2020 that confirmed that Kim became visibly emotional during his speech, issuing a rare apology for failing to adequately improve the living conditions of his people amid economic hardship, the pandemic, and natural disasters.

Analysts noted that his emotional tone reflected mounting pressure on his leadership, rather than any symbolic personal sacrifice.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows North Korean leader Kim Jong Un saying he was skipping late-night drives with his wife because of oil shortages is false.

The viral video is old, from October 13, 2020, and contains no such statement.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

October 13, 2020, BBC YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmHwQqKxwE8
Oct 12, 2020, The Telegraph YouTube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exI0FEubxO0
Oct 18, 2020, CNN news report:

https://www.cnn.com/2020/10/17/asia/north-korea-kim-jong-un-parade-intl-hnk
Oct 12, 2020, The Guardian news report:
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/12/kim-jong-un-sheds-tears-as-he-delivers-rare-apology-to-north-korea-over-failings
Oct 12, 2020, BBC news report:
https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-54520032